Skylark - The Princess' Day (2001)

Power metal in 2001 has really taken off as the year has gone on, with a good run of high quality albums towards its end in particular. So, as we come to the end, how better to finish than with my friends Skylark!?!
I've not been kind to this band up until now. Which is fair, since they suck.  But there remains something fascinating about them that keeps me listening with genuine interest, even if I'm not entirely sure why.
This, their fifth album, could well be their best to date, even if it is, in its own way, typical of Skylark's output.  With the thin production, there's really nothing heavy here, while the keyboards are rather wimpy (although I still like them) and the vocals... well, they're certainly better than they used to be, but will never be a strong point of the band.
Keyboardist Eddy Antonini has penned some reasonable songs this time around, with the likes of "I Will Cry Tonight" and "Rufus" quite catchy, as is the guitar riff on the closing "White Warrior."
Ah yes, the White Warrior and his armies, who are battling Satan/Lucifer/Belzebu, and not doing very well, as is proclaimed in the suitably titled "The Tragedy" - "Fire's burning on our planet, Satan's work is done for us/Now his throne is shining, brightening and we are giving up!"
Wimps.
The Princess' Day (that's some hot princess on the cover) pretty much epitomises everything about Skylark. Moderate songs, weak sound and a confusing story of good against evil.
But for those who try to avoid the more bombastic productions of certain other power metal acts (from Italy or elsewhere), this might just fit the bill.
Or maybe not.

***

Well, that's 2001 done and dusted. Time for another break of this blog, to get ready for 2002, with both familiar and new bands continuing to charge ahead in the wonderful world of power metal.

Angra - Rebirth (2001)

After three albums, Brazillian band Angra kind of fell apart, and it looked like that would be the end of them. But guitarists Kiko Loureiro and Rafael Bittencourt did not give up, and recruited three new members, including vocalist Eduardo Falaschi, and brought out this fittingly titled release.
It cannot match the group's very best, and is just a tad perfunctionary, but there's still much to like here, with enough complexity to please fans, and they continue to carry a dignity that has been around them from the start; it's somehow hard to bag them.

***1/2

Brainstorm - Metus Mortis (2001)

Brainstorm's fourth album, er, storms back to the form of their first two (I thought AMBIGUITY was a bit of a disappointment), with more roaring and catchy choruses throughout, highlights including "Shadowland" and "Checkmate In Red", although one of the best songs is "Weakness Sows Its Seed", which contains a muttered chorus that's remarkably effective.
This style will never be my very favourite type of power metal (if that's what it really is), but Brainstorm do it as well as anyone, and they can be a lot of fun to listen to.

***1/2

Silent Force - Infatuator (2001)

Silent Force's second album blows their first one out of the water. For a while, anyway.  The first half is a terrific collection of power metal dynamite, starting with the furious "Infatuator" and flying "Fall Into Oblivion", until the anthemic "We Must Use The Power".
Unfortunately, things fade somewhat in the second half, with less grabbing material, and finishing with the inevitable ballad and brief instrumental.  It's not that this portion is bad; it just pales in comparison with what has gone before.
But throughout, the voice of DC Cooper does not pale. I can never review an album he's on without praising his vocals; there can not be a better singer in power metal. He has the range, the depth and the clarity that all frontmen dream of. Or at least, they should dream of.
In the end, I suppose I was a bit disappointed with this record, but only because of the contrasting halves. Overall, this is a must for power metal fans.

****

Six Magics - Dead Kings Of The Unholy Valley (2001)

Chile.  Now I've never listened to a band from Chile before. In fact, I could not even name a musical act from Chile. Oh, yes I could.
Six Magics.
And here is their debut, which is definitely a mixed bag. It's a haphazard, somewhat overlong story of battles and all that, with tuneless noodlings mixed in with sudden bursts of choirs and suchlike (and, during the concluding, twelve-minute title track, a bit of Bach), with a vocalist in Sergio Domínguez, who is a bit weak. The band is a sextet, so I don't know if their name is a reference to that.  They all sound proficient enough, but the result is certainly better in bits and pieces than as an overall whole.

**1/2

Forgotten Tales - The Promise (2001)

With Europe dominating power metal, some Canadians decided they wanted to join the fun, and so came Forgotten Tales. At first glance, this debut looks like they're desperately want to say "Look! We can do it too!", with such cliches as a short instrumental opening, positive fantasy lyrics, generally fast rhythms, and a four-part conclusion.
Well, they do do it too, and they do it quite well. One unusual (though not unique) aspect is they have a female singer, Sonia Pineault, who has a rich and strong voice, helping such songs as the uplifting "Cold Heart" (especially) and "Gates Beyond Reality" fly.  However, the second half of the record is not quite as good as the first, so it becomes an overall pleasing enough listen, rather than an exceptional one.
Forgotten Tales have done just two albums since this release, both of which seem to have a better reputation, so we'll see how they go from here.

***

Grave Digger - The Grave Digger (2001)

Grave Digger base this album on the works of Edgar Allen Poe, and it is certainly very dark lyrically.  Musically, it's very, very heavy, with powerful guitar riffs throughout, which helps make this really good metal, although it's not up with the band's best.
The highlight is actually the concluding, slow song "Silence".  I can't always understand why so many musical acts bring out up tempo albums, and then suddenly finish with something relatively quiet, but it works superbly here - it's a lovely piece, and just seems to be an ideal conclusion.
Grave Digger have certainly done better than The Grave Digger, but they still can't help but stay in the habit of bringing out worthy material.

***1/2

Tierra Santa - Sangra De Reyes (2001)

After having to rely on YouTube for Tierra Santa's third album, I was able to purchase this next one, and believe it is their best to date. In fact, I'm quite warming to this band, after not being overly excited by their first couple of efforts.
It's still not an instantly melodious listen, but there's a resonance about the record that I find appealling, partly because, I think, the guitars sound so beautiful, right from the opening track "David Y El Gigante" (David and Goliath?), and that is carried on throughout. Other highlights include "El Laberinto Del Minotauro" (something about a Minotaur's labyrinth, I would think) and the concluding "Sangre De Reyes".
I haven't been sure whether I want to stick with Tierra Santa or not, but they are winning me over, so they're going to continue to be a part of this blog for the time being.
As long as I can continue to find their work.

***1/2

Rhapsody - Rain Of A Thousand Flames (2001)

I don't usually bother with EPs. Since I'm an obsessive who likes to listen to every single studio album an artist brings out (assuming I'm bothering with the artist at all), I have to draw the line somewhere, and usually confine EPs to Live and "Best Of" recordings as not really necessary.
"Rain Of A Thousand Flames" was released as a stop-gap in Rhapsody's "Emerald Sword" saga, and is officially an EP, even though it's forty-two minutes, which many eighties albums were shorter than (and I wish many ones today were similar), and, of course, it's Rhapsody, so how could I resist?
In truth, this is not the band's best work but, to paraphrase movie critic Leonard Maltin when referring to a weak Marx Brothers film, any Rhapsody is better than none at all.
There're plenty of dramatic moments there, with the opening title song flying effortlessly, before we get into a variety of choirs and orchestrations and, at times, stronger guitars than usual.  The conclusion, the ten and a half minute "The Wizard's Last Rhymes", is an adaption of Dvorak's magnificent "New World Symphony", and is certainly the highlight here.
However, something that goes against this record is "Tears Of A Dying Angel", mainly because the majority of its six minutes is spoken narration. Such storytelling is fine in small doses, but it just goes on for too long here.
Overall, I can't see myself growing to love this as I do other of Mr Turilli and co's work, but the very style, the very flavour of this kind of music will always win my heart to some degree.

****1/2

EDIT: I don't think I was quite on the ball when listening to this last time. I've just gone through it again, and it is pretty terrific, isn't it?  "Rain Of A Thousand Flames" is outstanding, and the epic "Queen Of The Dark Horizons" is... well, epic! Just wonderful stuff.
Maybe I called "The Wizard's Last Rhymes" the highlight partly because of my bias towards classical adaptions, which always grab my attention, although it's still a great piece.
I maintain that the narration on "Tears Of A Dying Angel" does go on for too long, but the music around it is magnificent and, while I still don't think this record can match Rhapsody's two previous releases, it remains a glittering jewel in power metal.

Gamma Ray - No World Order! (2001)

Gamma Ray have steadily become one of my favourite power metal bands, although they still haven't quite achieved a truly great album.
This one, about the Order of the Illuminati (or whatever it is), is exceptional on the first half, thanks to the likes of "Dethrone Tyranny," "Damn The Machine" (both written by drummer Dan Zimmermann) and "The Heart Of The Unicorn", but it fades a bit on the second - songs such as "Eagle" are rather forgettable, although the concluding ballad, "Lake Of Tears", is pretty good.
Gamma Ray is certainly a band who has become consistent in my view, and very enjoyable, but I still think Kai Hansen could do better, if he really put his mind to it.

****

Edguy - Mandrake (2001)

Fresh from his triumph with Avantasia earlier in 2001, Tobias Sammet returned to Edguy, and continued to show why power metal just somes naturally to him.
This is a consistent, catchy and highly enjoyable collection of energetic tunes which are not groundbreaking or hugely variable, but just keep the fun rolling along with their grabbing melodies and vigorous playing.  Highlights include the opening "Tears Of A Mandrake", "All The Clowns", the more thrash-styled "Nailed To The Wheel" and "The Pharaoh", but there's plenty more to like here from a talented band, led by a young man who knows what he wants, know what the fans want, and knows how to bring it all together.
Still don't like their name though.

****1/2

Heavenly - Sign Of The Winner (2001)

Heavenly's second album is a fine power metal release, of which I have slight reservations, mainly to do with Ben Sotto's singing. Talk about over the top. Yes, I know, heavy metal screaming is nothing new, and maybe I've been listening to too many more... er... calm vocals lately, but I think the problem is more than just his hysterics. At times, he almost tries so hard, his voice starts to disappear and get drowned out by everything else.
And there's a lot going on during these consistently fast, sometimes very melodious numbers as they sing about such things as being kidnapped by aliens ("Destiny"), looking after the Earth ("The World Will Be Better"), facing death (both "Condemned To Die", and it's follow up, "The Angel"), mankind of the future fighting machines ("Still Believe"), facing life positively ("Words Of Change") and the lamenting of war (the concluding "Until The End").
It's hard to get bored with it all, as everything is done so well, and is undeniably infectious.  If only the vocal side of things was a bit more stable.

****

Human Fortress - Lord Of Earth And Heavens Heir (2001)

Another band with not a lot of output over their career, German act Human Fortress brought out this debut in 2001, and it's good, but it could have been great, if more songs had matched its two higlights (both which come early), the lilting "Lord Of Earth and Heavens Heir" and, in particular, the flying "Divine Astonomy." What follows is reasonable ("Damned To Bedlam" is pretty good), without being enormously memorable.

***

Domine - Stormbringer Ruler - The Legend Of The Power Supreme (2001)

So far, I've thought I should enjoy Domine more than I do, but this, their third album, is certainly their best to date. They continue their "Chronicles Of The Black Sword" saga in grandiose, sweeping style, and there are enjoyable pieces, like "Horn Of Fate" and the dramatic conclusion, "Dawn Of A New Day - The Chronicle Of The Black Sword, The End Of An Era Part 4", although it's a bit disappointing that the song "The Ride Of The Valkyries", while having a snippet of that great Wagner classical piece, doesn't do more with it, considering the title.
In any event, this is really good power metal; typical in many ways, and not amongst the best, but certainly worthy of a fan's time.

***1/2

Guardians Of Time - Edge Of Tomorrow (2001)

Norweigan band Guardians Of Time really immerse themselves in cheesiness, with the members, the self-acclaimed "Guardians Of Time", giving themselves names like Rune, Dag-Ove and... hold on... maybe they're their real names.
Whoopsie...
Anyway, I was not impessed initially with this debut, but it's grown on me quite a bit.  It's consistently fast (no ballads), and with a few melodies which are reasonable, including "Payback", "Edge Of Tomorrow" and "As The Morning Rise", the latter of which seems to be about child abuse - a rare topic for a power metal band, unless the child in question is an elf.
At the time of writing, Guardians Of Time have only brought out two albums since this one, but I think they might be worth discovering. Edge Of Tomorrow is no classic, but what it does, it does well.

***1/2

Arthemis - The Damned Ship (2001)

Italian band Arthemis brought out their debut, CHURCH OF THE HOLY GHOST, in 1999, and I couldn't find it anywhere except YouTube, so I listened to it there - and realised I'd done well not to waste my money. It wasn't very good.
This follow-up is certainly better, but nothing to rave about. The three songs that stick out for me are "Starchild", and the two concluding tracks, "Noble Sword" and "The Damned Ship". The rest are juts rather dull to my ears - mostly fast, which is a plus, but pretty uninteresting melodiously.

**1/2

Axxis - Eyes Of Darkness (2001)

Whethere they're true power metal or not, Axxis are one of the longest running bands on this blog, and while I have enjoyed their material every now and again, I've started to feel rather ho hum when approaching their next offering.
But Eyes Of Darkness is one of their better efforts, proving to be quite enertaining and enjoyable. The highlights include a cover of Aphrodite's Child's early seventies song "The Four Horsemen" (which I'm not familiar with) and "Keep Flying" and, while the record does get a bit rudimentary after a while, it's a good listen all the same.

***

Winterlong - Valley Of The Lost (2001)

Swedish band Winterlong is another band with a name I love (and I love the cover of this debut as well), and on looking at the members, they also look remarakbly young and, with a couple of them, rather pudgy.
But what about the music?
Well, I can't say I was very impressed at first, with sometimes quite long instrumental passages that rarely do a lot for me, and Hussni Mörsare's growling vocals (not death growls) are a bit of an aquired taste, but Valley Of The Lost has grown on me somewhat, partly because of the quiet, haunting keyboards that hover in the background, bringing some resonance to such songs as the self-proclaiming "Winterlong", "Valley Of The Lost" and, in particular, the rather enchanting "Mystery Of Life". I'm really growing to love that last one.
It's unlikely this album will ever become a favourite, but there is something about it I like (its relatively short running time of about forty-five minutes helps too), so I think it will continue to please to a certain degree. Whether the band can work on this effort remains to be seen.
Well, remains to be seen by me.  Yet.

***

Royal Hunt - The Mission (2001)

After going on a bit of a downer with their previous FEAR, Royal Hunt return to form with this album, which is based on Ray Bradbury's "The Martian Chronicles". I'm not particularly familiar with Bradbury's work, but it makes for an interesting listen (although I still can't warm to Jon West's voice as much as I did that of DC Cooper), and while the music has few surprises for anyone with this band's sound (there are seven songs mixed in with six shorter pieces, and the choruses pretty much all follow the same pattern and style), it's still enjoyable, and those who like the familiar should be quite content with this one.  I was.

***1/2

Nostradameus - The Prophet Of Evil (2001)

Now this is more like it. Nostradameus' second album is a winner, both because of the music and the story. The latter is pretty straight forward, that of an evil prophet who kills a king, and his princely son who takes an army to avenge him.  But it's nice to have one of these concept pieces which is easy to follow, helped by lyrics that are easy to read! Too many metal CDs are released with horrible fonts, colours and/or backgrounds, making the words incredibly hard to follow.
The music, which is often fast and furious, starts of wonderfully, with the likes of "Hymn To Theese Lands", "Evil Prophecies" and "Murder". What follows can't quite match them, but it's still good enough, and the story remains a definite plus.
The Prophet Of Evil is certainly not the best music power metal has to offer, but it is up in the higher bracket.

****

Kamelot - Karma (2001)

With the last couple of albums I've listened to, I've had to try and "push" myself to really appreciate them, and the eventual three and a half star ratings I have given to them have been more along the line of "I'm sure they are really good, and I should be able to really appreciate them one day", rather than from actual, genuine enjoyment.  As a result, I've been feeling a bit dejected about my whole power metal endeavour.
So can Kamelot come to the rescue?
To a degree. In the end, I'm giving this album the same rating I gave Elvenking and Sonata Arctica, but I certainly enjoyed this more, and found it far more accessable. Such songs as "Forever" and "Across The Highlands" are amongst the band's best work, while the ballad "Don't You Cry" (devoted to guitarist Thomas Youngblood's father, who died when Thomas was very young) is very nice, and Khan's voice is excellent throughout. No, this is still no classic in my view, but it is a very worthy listen from a group who has got gradually better as their career has grown.

***1/2

Sonata Arctica - Silence (2001)

I liked Sonata Arctica's debut ECLIPTICA, without being overly excited by it, and this follow-up is a more complex effort, with touches of progressive, that makes it more of a journey to get into; there's no "Fullmoon" here. But there is still much to like, and the boys are obviously very talented at what they do. I think this will have to go in the "should get more out of it when I listen to it more" list. Sonata Arctica aren't one of my favourite power metal bands at the moment, but they're certainly worth the indulgence.

***1/2

Elvenking - Heathenreel (2001)

This is indeed a curious one. Elvenking are a band from Italy, and they combine a very strong element of folk and progressive metal with their power, and even incorporate death growls every now and again, although these are thankfully kept to a minimum.
It all comes together in a bizarre, wild, almost uncontrolled way that makes it really hard to get into, and yet it remains fascinating throughout. My Christian beliefs do have me struggling with the album title, and also song titles like "Pagan Purity", but there's good will to burn here all the same.
It's hard to listen to this and not picture dwarves dancing around a campfire (or should that be elves?), and while the record really comes across as something of a hodgepodge initially, there is much to discover here, and I hope I eventually come across more treasures within its grooves.

***1/2

Burning Point - Salvation By Fire (2001)

From a Finnish power metal band which play steady more than really fast rock, this album is very listenable, but not very exciting, with a vocalist (also guitarist and principal songwriter Pete Ahonen) who is a bit annoying, due to his wobbles.  As their name and the album title suggests (snazzy cover), they're very much into fire and all that, concentrating on the battle between good and evil, it seems.  Sometimes the lyrics come across as more on the evil side than others of their ilk (there's even a quote in the liner notes from Aleister Crowley), but they don't sound like that so much.
Overall, Burning Point are reasonable, but have not particularly grabbed my attention with this release.

**1/2

Iced Earth - Horror Show (2001)

I'm a horror fan, so an album with songs devoted to different horror films/characters has an appeal for me straight away. And this is classic horror; no Jason, Freddy or Michael here (leave that to death metal). Rather, we have Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolf Man and even the Creature From The Black Lagoon, although it might seem a bit puzzling to include Jack The Ripper here, since he was factual, wasn't he?
I've never been a big Iced Earth fan, although their previous album, SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES, won me over more than the ones before it.  The music here (with drummer Richard Christy making his debut) is quite good, something that I find myself getting into the more I listen to it, but it's the topics that really make it for me, and make it jump from a good album to a very good one.

***1/2

Steel Attack - Fall Into Madness (2001)

Steel Attack's second album is something of an improvement over their first, with some terrific riffing and such like, and quite positive lyrics, but the songs themselves still aren't all that great. Still, they show a bit of melodious progression in "Wings Of Faith", and it's a pretty enjoyable listen overall.

**1/2

Supreme Majesty - Tales Of A Tragic Kingdom (2001)

Yet another Swedish band, Supreme Majesty have only released three albums, and this debut is pleasing enough, with tuneful tracks like "Strike Like Thunder", "Not Of This World" and "Keeper Of The Dead", including shimming keyboards that remind me a bit of fellow-Swedes Europe.
There's nothing remarkable about this release, but it's a good enough listen.

***

Lost Horizon - Awakening The World (2001)

I wasn't drawn to Lost Horizon initially, since they've only ever released two albums, but they're both so highly rated by many, I had to give them a try.
Full of posturing that would make Manowar blush (the members don't even have names; rather, they go by titles like Cosmic Antagonist and Ethereal Magnanimus), this is undoubtedly impressive stuff, with Iron Maiden-styled galloping rhythms, flying vocals and such grabbing songs as "World Through My Fateful Eyes", "Welcome Back" (especially) and "The Kingdom Of My Will".
It's still not enough to have me regarding it with awe, but there's still much to like, over the top presentation and all.

***1/2